Plan was a good solid effort on a trail I've always wanted to piece together in its entirety. Majority of the trail is dirt/grass, some loose gravel sections, and a few miles total of crowned paved road.
South to North seemed like a fun idea as it's gradually downhill on the elevation map after the 6 mi mark. The reality is that it's a lot more rolling when you're actually out there with a few steeper road climbs.
The first 6-7 mi are the most runnable as the trail is wide, flat, and well packed. There isn't a lot of tree cover but no issues in the morning with the sun.
Coming into Mayville and Chautauqua lake led to some beautiful views, unfortunately it also was the time when the headwind really picked up. The lake had it the worst, but the headwind was definitely there for the rest of the run (mile 11 onward).
After Mayville the trail became more of a true single track setup, even those it remained wide enough to drive a car through. By that I mean there were two worn walking/biking areas and the other sections typically had much more grass/puddles, rocks, etc.
I didn't particularly enjoy the 4+mi of running directly under the high voltage power lines with the strong headwind, fairly certain that was the "private land stay off during hunting season" section.
After that things got progressively more "trail" with some miles having grass knee to waist high that had only been traversed sporadically. This made for much harder going. If I did it again I'd wear trail shoes.
All in all, a beautiful day to be in the woods exploring.
Time lost: ~2 mins spent at road crossings, 2 quick bathroom breaks, 1 stop on Hannum road since I thought I may have gotten lost (I didn't), and 1 stop on the entry from Ellicott Rd as it wasn't clear where the trail started after the road portion.
Intake: Solomon Adv Skin 12 pack w/2x20oz flasks water + beta fuel (600 cals). 1 x SiS (90 cals).
Animals seen: White Tailed Fawn + Mama, Bald Eagle, Hawk, Fox, 4 ruffed grouse, tons of turtles, geese, and ducks. There are frequent beautiful wetlands sections you overlook.